Field of the Invention
A system for enabling access to data, and in particular a system for enabling access to data stored on, or accessible using, a user device.
Description of the Related Technology
User devices, such as mobile telephones, tablet computers, laptop computers and desktop computers are increasingly being used to provide access to secure data. Such devices may be provided with a secure element, for example a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) in a cellular device (i.e. telephone or tablet), or a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) in a computing device. The secure element is tamper resistant and may store secure data (which may itself comprise credentials enabling access to further secure data). In such cases, it is important to ensure that access to the secure data is adequately controlled to prevent unauthorized users attacking the system and gaining access.
Many security features have been proposed in relation to mobile devices. One proposed method is to use a proximity system to control access to the secure data, such as the system described in granted U.S. Pat. No. 8,112,066. Here, a mobile telephone is paired with a Bluetooth™ device. When the mobile telephone and the Bluetooth™ device are in proximity, the secure data is accessible. This thus provides security in a relatively convenient manner to the user.
It would be desirable to increase the security of data on a device, whilst maintaining relative convenience to the user.